I'm sorry you weren't home the last time I visited Lake Como. I know I should have timed my trip better, but we we decided to stay an extra day in Freiburg, and you know how rarely I get to Germany! It's funny how this was my second trip to the lago, yet the three Italians I was traveling with had never been, and I, once again, had to act as tour guide. Romans!
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| Bellaggio |
Do you ever get to the town of Como? I doubt it since it's so crowded and you would get recognized too easily. I would have to put Como on the list of the top shopping districts in Italy. We were there on a Saturday, and the streets, closed to automobile traffic, were bustling with locals and tourists, and just when we would think we had come to the last shop, we would turn the corner and end up on yet another row of stores. There were outdoor cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and churches - we even saw two weddings. Too bad the Italian silk merchants have mostly been swallowed up by the Chinese, but who hasn't?
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| Menaggio |
On our way back to Varenna on the ferry, we passed Laglio, where everyone shouted out "Ciao George!" at every grand villa, but I knew you wouldn't come out and wave like you used to in the early years, because, let's face it, those Italians are getting tiresome, aren't they? They were charming and fun in the beginning, but they really act like they own you out on that lake: George this, and George that - don't they have celebrities of their own in Italy? Seriously now, if it's a siting you're interested in, just come to Studio City, right?
Until Then,
Susan
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| Villa Monastero |
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ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say it was very enjoyable to read this! I too love Como, Brunate, varenna, Bellagio... I have been there twice, loved every minute both times. In the Spring the ephimeral waterfalls and the real rivers like Fiumelatte empty into the lake like white streamers, surprising no one except me, it is like a vision that lasts just a few days or maybe a bit more, until the rains stop. To be in one of those houses next to a thundering waterfall!!! How can that be? I have photos, the houses so close to the raging waterfall... But the place to be is that spot in you photo labeled Menaggio (that is really a photo of Varenna). Right where you see those boats is a special spot where you can have front row to the best scene: sunset at Varenna as the afteroon hides behind the mountains that protect Menaggio, across the lake. The place is called IL Molo and there are a couple more spots right next to that one. Grab a table and order a bichiere di vino rosso. You need little else, after that... Thanks for your other photos... Villa Monastero is indeed marvelous and right next to it is Villa Ciprese wher you can walk thru its gardens ans dmire the water's edge lapping at the steps of Villa Monastero. A great additional view of Villa Monastero, since you can appreciate its facade from the lake...
ReplyDeleteGretchen, Thanks for reading my blog - I just KNEW there was someone out there who loves Lake Como as much as I do. I am quite envious that you have spent more time there than I have, and I apologize and stand corrected for having confused Varenna and Menaggio; you know how it is when you wait until you get home before labeling your photos... Maybe you would know the restaurant we ate at in Varenna whose name I cannot recall - we had an amazing anniversary dinner there, and it looked like a wine cellar with no more than 10 tables in it. I think the wife was French, actually, and in wish I could eat like that again. In any event, I sit at work dreaming about my next trip to Lake Como. I'm working on my next blog about San Gimignano, so I hope you've been there, particularly to the Museum of Torture, which is the strangest, coolest place I've ever been. Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteHey Susan, I too dream about returning to Como, mainly to Varenna, every single day. I have been to Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre (have you been to these five seaside towns? The journey takes a day but you walk thru unforgettable trails with clear acqua below....) and my beloved Como. Not San Gimignano, not Sienna. Have made day trips to
ReplyDeleteNaples and Pompeii, Pisa, small beautiful Lucca and drove a rented car all the way to Carrara, the mines.... I love Italy anf feel a lifetime is not enough, esoecially when the pull to return to the lake is so strong! I still have so much more I want to see, to learn, i actually feel at home there.... In fact just searching for info on the Lake was how I came across your blog. I have a pretty cool photo of
Menaggio, will try to see if I can attach it here at a future time. I actually travel to photograph... My photos extend my trips. I will look forward to your next blog. Do tell how you got there! Thanks!